What to know about Kim Jong Un

Learn more about the life of Kim Jong Un, the young and eccentric North Korean leader.

1. Kim Jong Un's exact birthdate is unknown, but whether he was born in 1983 or 1984, he is currently the world's youngest head of state.

2. It is thought that Kim Jong Un studied at the International School of Berne in Switzerland in the 1990s, using a pseudonym to hide his identity as a member of North Korea's ruling family. But several North Korean authorities dispute this and believe he has never been outside North Korea.

3. From 2002 to 2007, Kim Jong Un attended the Kim Il Sung military academy (named after his grandfather) in Pyongyang for formal training.

4. Kim Jong Un was named to North Korea's National Defense Commission shortly after completing his education at the academy and was eventually promoted to four-star general and named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission as well as to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2010.

5. Kim Jong Un's father, the infamous North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, was a dictator who presided over the historically closed-off nation of North Korea for 17 years.

6. In September 2010, Kim Jong Un was appointed to political and military posts, fueling speculation Kim Jong Il’s youngest son would one day be his successor.

7. The North Korean public did not even know Kim Jong Un existed until a few years before his father died, when he was introduced as the potential new leader.

8. As predicted, Kim Jong Un took over after his father died of a heart attack in December 2011.

9. It has been speculated that Kim Jong Un underwent a number of cosmetic procedures in order to look more like his grandfather and founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung (pictured here with his son Kim Jong Il in 2004).

10. Curiosity over whether or not Kim Jong Un was married started when North Korean state television and news agencies showed video footages and pictures of an unidentified woman attending official events by his side. It turns out Kim Jong Un married 23-year-old Ri Sol Ju in 2009.

11. It has been reported that The Supreme Leader suffers from some health problems and may even have diabetes.

12. Kim Jong Un reportedly has an obsession with the NBA. Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has visited the leader in North Korea. "I don't condone what he does, but he's my friend," Rodman stated.

13. Propaganda videos and pictures - which can look odd or obviously staged - are carefully crafted and meant to give North Koreans an image of a country governed by a leader who is as comfortable overseeing a powerful military as he is mingling with the people.

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